Chapter 3 Daughter Of The Moonshade

Lyra POV

~~~~~PRESENT DAY~~~~~~

The scent of polish and burning wood clung to the walls of the Lycan Palace like a second skin.

My palms were red and sore, raw from scrubbing the marble floor outside the throne hall. The bucket beside me sloshed murky water with every swipe of my hand. My knees ached from kneeling on the hard stone tiles,stopping meant punishment.

The castle's high ceilings rang with every movement, as if the walls themselves spoke. The Lycan Pack was nothing like Moonshade. There was barely laughter here, and the ever-looming shadow of Maximus.

Even in his absence, he ruled.

It had been three years since the night my world ended. Three years since my parents were slaughtered. Since I was chained and dragged from my burning home like property. Since I was thrown into this palace and branded an omega,a slave.

I didn't have a room, only a narrow storage closet beneath the kitchen stairs where I slept on a thin blanket. I didn't eat at the table,I waited until the warriors finished and scraped cold leftovers into a cracked bowl. I was no longer Lyra of the Moonshade Pack.

My breath fogged in the morning chill that seeped in through the cracks in the windows. My hands moved faster, desperate to finish the corridor before the next round of inspection.

A sharp voice cut through the silence like a dagger. "You missed a spot, slave." I froze.

Nina,The Lycan princess, Maximus's sister.

She strolled toward me in a blood-red robe, her golden hair twisted perfectly atop her head. Behind her trailed two other noble girls, both smirking.

I dipped my head. "Yes, Princess."

She stopped beside me and leaned down with a fake smile. "Did I say you could stop scrubbing?"

I clenched the rag tighter. "No, Princess."

"Well then." She kicked the bucket, splashing the filthy water across the floor and onto my dress. "Keep going."

Mocking laughter followed as they walked away with pride, heels clicking mockingly against the wet stone.

My wolf whimpered inside me, weak and wounded. She hadn't spoken to me for a long time,I sighed, rejection, grief, humiliation,it had silenced her, and I felt emptiness more every day.

I cleaned the mess in silence, teeth gritted.

Later that afternoon, I was sent to the upper garden to gather herbs for the royal kitchen. It was one of the few tasks I didn't mind,being outside, even within the palace walls, gave me a moment to breathe.

I moved through the hedges with my woven basket, fingers brushing the tops of the lavender and thyme. The sun kissed my skin, and for a moment, I almost felt like myself again.

"Psst!"

I jumped, nearly dropping the basket.

Someone was crouched behind the rosebush.

"Eliza?" I whispered, heart skipping.

The girl grinned and stepped out into the sunlight. Her brown curls were longer now, wild and loose around her shoulders, and her hazel eyes sparkled with mischief and relief.

"I thought I'd never find you," she breathed.

"Eliza!" I threw my arms around her, nearly crying. Her hug was tight, familiar, and warm.

"How did you..?"

"I begged one of the traders who supplied the palace," she said quickly. "Told him I had a cousin here I hadn't seen in years, Paid him with everything I had to smuggle me into the servant quarters."

"But it's dangerous. If they catch you"

"Then I'll lie," she said firmly. "Like I always do."

I pulled her deeper into the garden, hiding between the thick trees.

Eliza looked at me closely, frowning. "for the moon goddess, Lyra... what have they done to you?"

I looked down at my dirt-stained dress, at the bruises on my wrists. "Everything they could, Maximus's mother, Selene, treats me like a disease. Nina kicks me when no one's looking. They think breaking me makes them stronger."

Eliza's eyes burned. "If Maximus were here"

"He's not," I said flatly. "He's on a mission, No one knows where he went."

Eliza exhaled and sat beside me in the grass. "You're not staying here, Lyra. I'm going to find a way to get you out."

I shook my head. "If I run, they'll kill me. They'll call it treason,they already think I'm beneath them."

"But you're still an heir," Eliza insisted. "You have royal blood. That still means something."

"Not in this place," I whispered.

We sat in silence, the scent of crushed herbs surrounding us.

And then, Eliza pulled something from her coat.

"I found this among some trader goods. Thought you might want it back."

It was my mother's pendant. A small silver moon set in glass.

My breath caught, I reached for it with trembling fingers.

"I thought it was lost..."

"I've been looking for it ever since the attack," she said softly. "Your mother wore it every day."

I clutched it to my chest, tears burning in my eyes. "Thank you."

Her expression shifted. "Lyra... that pendant. It's not just a keepsake,the trader said it carries an enchantment."

"What kind of enchantment?"

"He didn't know, but I think your mother hid something inside it,something magical."

Before I could respond, the ground trembled beneath us.

Voices were heard across the courtyard.

Guards, "Eliza,hide!" I hissed.

She vanished into the shadows just as two palace warriors stormed into the garden.

"There she is!" one barked.

Rough hands grabbed me by the arms and dragged me upright.

"You were told not to leave the servant halls without permission!"

"I was gathering herbs!" I shouted.

"Silence!" The taller guard slapped the basket from my hands, sending herbs scattering. "The Queen wants to see you,Now."

My blood ran cold, Selene.

They pulled me into the upper palace, through the grand silver archways and up the long stairwell to the throne room.

Selene stood at the far end, regal and cruel, draped in black silk. Her greying hair was twisted into a crown-like bun, and her lips curled when she saw me.

I dropped into a shaky bow. "You summoned me, Your Grace."

She circled me slowly, her heels clicking with sharp precision.

"You smell like the garden," she said. "Did you think rolling in flowers would change what you are?"

"No, Your Grace."

"You're filth,a stain,a mistake my son will regret for the rest of his life."

She stepped in front of me and slapped me across the face.

I'd learned not to give her the satisfaction.

"You've been sneaking around," she said darkly. "talks of rebellion,Talking to outsiders."

"I haven't". "You're lying." She signaled the guards, "Strip her,Search her."

"No!" I yelled, backing up. "I didn't do anything!"

A guard shoved me against the marble pillar, tearing at my sleeves.

He found the pendant hidden in me.

He held the pendant.

Selene's eyes narrowed. "What is that?"

My heart dropped in fear.

"It's my mother's," I said with a shaky voice.

"Bring it to me."

The guard placed the pendant in her gloved palm.

She stared at it for a long time.

And then, something unexpected happened.

The pendant began to glow.

A faint silver pulse.

Selene's expression changed.

Her hand trembled.

And for the first time, I saw fear in her eyes.

"Where did you get this?" she hissed.

"It was mine," I said hoarsely. "My mother"

"This... this is ancient magic," she muttered.

She turned to the guards.

"Chain her,Lock her below the East Wing and alert the council."

"But why?" I stammered.

Selene's cold gaze met mine.

"Because I think your mother was hiding something far more dangerous than you."

The guards dragged me away, my mind spun.

What had my mother hidden in the pendant?

Why did it scare Selene?

What was I truly heir to?

the dungeon door slammed behind me...

I realized something terrifying.

Selene wasn't maltreating me because I was weak,she is, because I or my mother might be stronger than she ever imagined.